Fruit-press structure



B. B. MANASTER FRUIT PRESS STRUCTURE Oct. 1, 1940.

Filed May 17, 1937 17/5 ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 1, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,216,373 FRUIT-PRESSSTRUCTURE Ben B. Manaster, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 17, 1937, Serial No. 143,050

6 Claims.

This invention relates to presses and more particularly to a press forthe extraction of fruit juices and the like.

Among its important objects, the invention ,5 contemplates the provisionof a simplified structure of the class described which is relativelyinexpensive to manufacture, which is rugged .yet simple in construction,and which is highly efficient in use.

A further object is the provision of a fruit press especiallyconstituted for manual operation for either domestic or commercial useand which includes a novel supporting structure characterized by itsattractive appearance and rugged supporting qualities.

A further object is the provision of a fruit press having a standardupon which is mounted an arbor comprised of two uprights of pressedsheet metal formed with a plurality of longitu- 20 dinal ribs to producea supporting member of substantially polyhedral form, the pair ofuprights being surmounted by a head bar which is cast onto the supportsand upon which is mounted the pressing mechanism.

A still further object is the provision of a fruit press comprised of abase member having mounted thereon a pair of spaced upright supports ofpressed steel having a head bar secured across the upper extremitiesthereof by means an of casting, the uprights having integralintermediate formations for supportably engaging an annular platform inwhich is removably seated a pressing cup.

Yet another object is the provision of a press .35 including asupporting structure formed of relatively simple metal stampings in themanner heretofore described, together with a supporting member cast ontothe stampings and the latter being mounted on a base member by tongueand slot means providing for simplified assembly, the stampings furtherhaving an arrangement of supporting areas or lugs engageable with anannular supporting ring of channel-like cross section in a manner to beparticularly pointed out hereinafter.

Additional objects and novel aspects of the invention reside in theparticular construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafterdescribed in conjunction with the annexed drawa ing in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the improved press structure;

Fig. 2 is a vertical fragmentary section drawn to enlarged scale andtaken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a punching of one of the upright, pressed-metal supports;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view showing the method of attachingthe uprights to the base as viewed in the direction of line 4-4 of Fig.2;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal plan view along line 55 of Fig. .2 showingparticularly the annular supporting ring or platform and the pressingcone; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the mounting means forthe platform ring.

In the press structures heretofore developed, the point of greatestweakness has always been the neck, arbor, or crosshead, and this will bereadily understood from a consideration of the fact that it is in thisregion that the present mechanism exerts its reaction against thestationary pressed member or cone. Likewise a point of equal weakness inthese constructions is the intermediate platform support. The presentinvention provides an inexpensive press structure which is characterizedby great strength in the region of the crosshead as well as theintermediate platform support, and in accomplishing this the cost ofconstruction of the frame has been lessened; and in addition toproviding a press structure of attractive appear-' ance and remarkabledurability, the invention provides a device which is relatively cheap tomanufacture and which is light in weight and easily portable.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 includes a base member of anysuitable configuration, preferably the oblong form seen in Fig. 5, andhas provided in its central region an annular recess H (see also thelower part of Fig. 2) in which a glass or like receptacle may besecurely seated. The bottom of the base l0 adjacent its longitudinal orright and left hand extremities is provided with inset or routedformations or recesses I2, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4, thepurpose of whichwill appear hereafter. If desired, friction legs l3 may also be providedon the bottom of the base to prevent marring and slicing.

Extended from the base II] at points substantially overlying the bottomrecessed portions I2, are a pair of oppositely disposed uprightsupporting arms M which are formed preferably from metal stampings ofsuitable gauge or thickness, and for very rugged constructions are preferably stamped from sheet steel.

One of the punchings from which the uprights are struck or stamped isshown in Fig. 3 in the form of an elongated strip of metal l5 having asubstantially flared or enlarged base extremity Hi from which extend inan axial direction three evenly spaced ears or tabs l1, while theopposite axial or longitudinal extremity of the punching forms a head l8of reduced lateral width and from which extends axially a tab or ear I9which is somewhat elongated and which has at least a pair of oppositelydisposed notches 20 along its longitudinal edges. Between its ends, thatis to say between the flared base portion l6 and the reduced headportion [8, the punching I5 has an enlarged intermediate portion 2|providing opposite wings each with opposite and peculiarly shaped ears22 and 22' formed by notching or slotting the wing portions horizontallyand vertically, in the'form of an L, as at 23 and 23', theears' 22 beingfur-- The.

ther cut to form an angular notch 23". ears 22 and 22' are made toprovide for the subsequent formation of ring engaging or supportingmeans.

The punchings 15 are placed in a suitable press or stamping machine andprovided with a plurality of longitudinally extensive ridges or ribs 24,and the stamping assumes a semicircular or U-shaped cross sectional formwith the areas 25 between intervening ribs 24 arranged as the faces of apolyhedron, in this instance five-sided (Fig. 5). This operation alsodisposes the intermediate ring supporting tabs or ears 22 and 22 insubstantially opposite relation, and the flared base portion I6 isprovided with opposite legs l6.

After the stampings have been formed in the manner aforesaid, theelongated tabs or areas H! at the upper ends thereof are bent inwardlyat an angle as at 25 in Fig. 2 and thereafter the stampings are insertedin pairs in a mold and are cast into supporting engagement with aU-shaped cross head or bar 21. The cross head has a boss 28 in which isformed a sleeve or bore having a radial side opening (not shown)confronting the teeth 29 of a rack bar 30. A stud shaft 3| having keyedthereon a pinion 32, is seated in the bore of the boss 28 for drivingengagement of the pinion with the teeth 29 of the rack so that byturning the stud shaft in opposite directions the rack bar 30 may bereciprocated or moved up and down relative to the base member ill, therack bar 30 being preferably of hexagonal form and slidable in avertical bore formed in an intermediate enlarged body portion 33 of thehead bar casting 21.

Integrally formed with, or otherwise attached to the stud shaft 3|, is amanipulating handle 34 disposed at a convenient angle so that theoperator may exert a maximum leverage without undue tendency towardmoving the device on its support.

A pressing bell 35 of substantially frusto-conical form is attached tothe rack 30 by any suitable means such as a bolt which extends into thelower axial end of the rack. In the example seen in Fig. 2, however, thereduced lower end portion of the rack has been extended through anopening in the small end of the bell or cup and peened over as at 36.

Spaced uprights I 4 with the cast head bar 21 are mounted on the baseIt) by inserting the lower ears I! into suitable slots or openings inthe base and thereafter bending over the ears in the manner seen in Fig.4.

A novel supporting platform for the pressing cone is provided in theform of a ring 31 of channel shaped cross section as indicated at 38. Inmounting this platform or ring between the uprights, the rim portions 39of the channeled bottom of the ring are fitted into the cut-away ornotched portions at 23 and 23" of each of the ears 22 in such mannerthat the latter all extend into the channel 38 of the ring, the freeedge portions of the rims finding additional support in engagement withthe bottoms of the slot 23' and the notch 23" of the ears 22 of theupright. If desiredor necessary, the upper portions of the ears 22 maybe spread or bent suitably into wedging engagement with the channeledportion 38 of the ring 31 in such manner that the latter is at all timesfirmly-seated and supported between the uprights l4 at a point betweenthe base l0 and the cross or head bar 21 by means of the ears 22 and 22flanking notch 23.

Removably seated in the ring or platform 31 is a round cup 40 having anannular shoulder 4| adjoininga reduced or narrowed bottom portion 42which fits within the ring, the shoulder portion 4| sitting on the uppersurface of the ring. The bottom 42 of this cup is open and substantiallyoverlies the receptacle-seating recess II in the base l0, and inaddition the cup has an upstanding wall 43 of a height adequate toprevent the escape of juices or rinds therefrom during the pressingoperation.

Cooperable with the pressing bell 35 is a removable pressing cone 45desirably formed of metal and having a plurality of spaced openings 46distributed over its surface for the escape of juices to a receptaclepositioned therebelow, these openings being of a size adequate toprevent any pith or solid material from the fruit, such as seeds, frompassing into the receptacle. The lower peripheral edge of the pressingcone 45 is further provided with arcuate notches or cutaway portions 41also adapted to permit the escape of the fruit juices while at the sametime preventing the escape of seeds and the like.

In the operation of the device, the substance to be pressed, such forexample as fruit which has been halved, is placed firmly onto thepointed upper end portion of the pressing cone 45, and a glass orreceptacle is seated in the recess l I below the pressing cone and theplatform 31, whereupon the operator grasps the handle 34 and turns thesame to drive the rack bar 30 downwardly through the action of thepinion 32 as it is revolved by manipulation of the handle. The pressingbell 35 engages the fruit, and a continued application of force to thehandle 3'! presses the fruit firmly down onto the pressing cone 45,causing the expulsion of the juice therein, which juice, substantiallyfree of pith and seeds, escapes through the openings 46 and 41 andgravitates into the receptacle therebelo-w. The formation and angulardisposition of the operating arm 34, together with the gearing of thepinion and rack 3032 is devised to give a maximum pressing force andmechanical advantage, such that the application of a relatively moderateforce to the handle 34 results in a relatively great exertion ofpressure between the bell 35 and the cone 45.

It is of further importance to point out that while the foregoingarrangement discloses a relatively simple construction and while theforces which are applied to the cone 45 and supporting ring 31 arerelatively great, yet the peculiar formation of the uprights l4 and themanner of attaching same to the cross bar 21 and the base plate 10result in a rigid and rugged structure capable of withstanding greatstresses especially in the region between the ring or platform seatingformations 22 and 22' and the juncture of the uppermost angularlydisposed tabs or ears [9 with the cast head bar 21.

The foregoing particularly described arrangement of parts isillustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention and issusceptible of rearrangement and modification without departing from thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the class described including a base member, a pair ofspaced uprights formed of sheet metal stamped into substantiallychannel-shaped form with a plurality of longitudinally extensiveadjacent surfaces in polyhedral array, said uprights being attached tosaid base member by means of ear formations at their lower axialextremities extended through openings in said base member and thereafterbent over, said uprights having integral lug formations between theirends for supporting engagement with a platform in the shape of a ring ofchannel-like cross section mounted between said uprights with the saidlug formations of the latter disposed in the channel formation of thering, pressing means mounted on said platform, a cross head cast ontothe upper ends of said uprights and a movable pressing device anddriving mechanism therefor mounted on said cross head, said pressingdevice being movable toward and away from said firstmentioned pressingmeans on said platfrom by operation of said driving mechanism.

2. A standard for fruit presses and the like and comprising a ,pair ofchannel-shaped sheet metal uprights mounted at their lower ends on abase member and having a crossbar cast on their upper ends, saidcrossbar being adapted to mount pressing mechanism, and a platformstructure including a supporting member having an undercut bottom andmounted between said uprights by means of opposite upright ears formedby cutting L- shaped slots in opposite edge portions of said uprights,said supporting member being fitted onto said slots in each of saiduprights with the said ears disposed in the cut-out portions of thesupporting member.

3. In a device of the class described, a base member, a pair of uprightsmounted on said base member, each of said uprights having a pair ofaligned slot formations adapted to seat a mounting ring in cooperationwith similar slots in the opposite upright, said uprights being joinedat their upper ends by a crosshead of rigidified moldable material castonto said ends and having formations for mounting pressing mechanism forcooperation with pressing means supported on said mounting ring.

4. A standard for a fruit press including a base,

a pair of uprights secured at their lower ends to said base and providedwith fluting extended in the direction of their length, said fiutingbeing formed by bending said uprights partially in a direction back uponthemselves, each of said uprights having between their ends a pair oflaterally projecting tabs in which are formed alined mounting slots,said mounting slots being disposed when the uprights are in assembledrelation to supportably receive a pressing seat, and a molded crossheadcast onto the upper ends of said ,uprights in a manner to attach saidcrosshead rigidly to the uprights, and pressing mechanism mounted onsaid crosshead for cooperation with pressing means mounted in saidpressing seat.

5. A device of the class described including a base and a pair of spacedsheet metal uprights of channel-shaped form with a plurality oflongitudinally extending adjacent surfaces in polyhedral array, each ofsaid uprights having integral vertically spaced pairs of cars arrangedin horizontally spaced relation between the upper and lower endsthereof, a supporting member of annular shape and having an annulargroove in its bottom and supported between said uprights with thelowermost ears of each of said pairs disposed in the annular groovethereof and the uppermost ears of each pair overlying an upper surfaceportion of the supporting member to secure the same against removal,said supporting member being adapted to support a pressing member, theupper end portions of said uprights being rigidly interconnected by abody of metal cast thereon and having integral cast formationsconstituting a mounting for pressing mechanism adapted to coact withsaid first-mentioned pressing member.

6. In a fruit press, a standard including a base, spaced uprightsmounted on said base and constructed from sheet metal in an elongatedstrip having adjoining polyhedral surfaces extending substantiallythroughout its length, each of said uprights having an L-shaped slot cutint-o its opposite edge portions between its ends to provide upper andlower ears on each side of each upright with a slot portion between eachpair of ears, means rigidly interconnecting the upper end portions ofsaid uprights and adapted to provide a mounting for movable pressingmechanism, and an annular platform having an annular channel in itsbottom supported between said uprights with a peripheral wall portiondisposed in the aforesaid slots in the uprights so that the lowermostear of each pair in each upright extends into said channel in supportingengagement with the inner bottom portion of said channel, the uppermostear of each pair in each upright being turned over an upper surfaceportion of said platform to prevent removal of the same from said slots,said platform being adapted to support pressing means cooperable withthe aforesaid movable pressing mechanism.

BEN B. MANASTER.

